My Girl
by Detective-Inspector-Me
Summary: The Capitol took everything from Haymitch, his life, his family, his girl... or did they?
1. Chapter 1

_"My mother and younger brother. My girl. They were all dead two weeks after I was crowned victor. Because of the stunt I pulled with the force field, Snow had no one to use against me." – Haymitch, Mockingjay_

The cells in the Capitol have always had the same smell. A damp smell mixed with the scent of strong antiseptic, and the lingering chemical smells that remain after the Capitols inventive forms of torture.

These are the smells that I've come to tolerate in the last twenty-five years, and I would give anything to replace them. Sometimes, I lay in my cell and imagine the smells of childhood. The smell of suit and grease in the hob. Or dust in the streets. Even the smells of herbs and medicinal plants in my mothers shop. I'd give anything to go back.

Recently, things have gotten worse. Now, I share a cell with a young girl named Johanna. At first, she had a fiery spirit and fought their torture with everything they could. But soon she was worn down. I still hear the screams of a boy, the gargle of an Avox and the muffled cries of Johanna constantly, mixed with the erratic screams and calls of the crazy girl next door, who I have been told is called Annie.

Although the scene is dreadful, and I know it's cruel to be glad they're here. But these people are the first link to him I've had in over two decades. I miss him, and I know it's wrong to still think about him, because I'm sure we're different people now. But how I wish I could go back to that day.


	2. Chapter 2

_'The time has come to select our tributes for this very special Quarter Quell, and I can see you're all as excited as I am to proceed, so I won't waste any more time. As always, lady's first.' _

_I barely even here the first name because the only thought running through my head is 'Not me. Not me. Not me. Not me.' When I don't hear it I relax slightly, just in time to remember that this year, she's not the only girl going into the arena. Someone else here will be joining her. This time, I still don't hear my name, but I'm taken aback anyway. I turn to __Maysilee_, shock obvious on both our faces. She proceeds to the platform and I feel the tears welling in the backs of my eyes. She isn't even 18, she's a merchant child, she couldn't have been picked. 

_My mind reels and spins and I feel like I'm going to pass out or scream. But I don't, because I can't if I hope to go and say goodbye._

_I'm not listening when the boys names are read, and so I don't notice him on the platform until they're going off, and he catches my eye. I see all the concern behind them and wonder what happened, why are all these girls staring at me, why is he on that platform. The fog lifts and I drop to my knees. My best friend and my boyfriend are going to the Games._

_I choose to see Maysilee first, she's still in shock, and so our goodbye is relatively painless._

_My goodbye with Haymitch is a different story._

_I wait for his parents to leave, and see his mother swimming in tears, being held up by her husband. After they leave, I'm allowed to enter._

_No sooner am I in the door than he has me pinned against the wall and is roughly kissing me._

_'Haymitch,' I begin,_

_'Don't,' he responds, but stops kissing me and looks me in the eye, gently cupping my cheek. I feel the tears well in my eyes again and this time I can't stop them. He pulls me close and holds me until the guard comes._

_'I will come back.' He tells me as I'm pushed from the room. 'I promise!'_


	3. Chapter 3

_I sit in the living room with Haymitch's parents and watch as the axe makes contact. I can hardly believe my eyes when the cannons sound and Haymitch is lifted out of the arena. Alive. He did it._

_I watch his interview, and can see by the looks of the Capitol audience that his stunt with the axe did not go down well. Clearly, they had not seen that coming. But I don't care. He did what he had to, and now he's coming home._

_The following day, he comes home and swarms of people greet him, but he continues to search the crowd until he spots me. I smile and he descends from the platform, causing the crowd to split._

_Once I have a clear path, I run and jump into his arms wrapping my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his._

_God, how I missed him._

_That evening, he comes to see me. _

_'Tomorrow,' he tells me, 'you need to pack and you can come live with me in the Village.' I lace my fingers with his as he whispers into my hair, 'I told you. I promised I'd give you the life of a queen.'_

_He angles my head and looks into my eyes, 'what's wrong?' he asks._

_'Nothing,' I respond, 'I just wish you could see that I don't care about the house or the money, all I needed was you.'_

_He kisses me and says 'I love you.'_

_Those are the last words he says to me._


	4. Chapter 4

_That night, I wake up and feel a stab of pain in my neck. I try to move my hand up to the source, but have no control over my limbs. I manage to pry open my eyes, and see a looming figure leaning over my bed, retracting a syringe from my neck. _

_I try to open my lips and scream, but I'm now completely paralysed._

_The figure lifts me, and drapes me over his shoulder. As I stare down his back, I recognise the shape of the Peacekeeper uniform and feel my heart rate elevate. He walks out the front door, and takes me to the abandoned house across the street._

_Once we're inside, he sets me down roughly in a chair and positions me at the window, just in time to watch my home go up in flames. _

_I'm forced to watch the spectacle with unblinking eyes. It isn't long until the neighbours notice, and the screaming begins. I see people carrying buckets of water to try and smother the flames, but it's already too late. My eyes watch as my parents room is enveloped in the flames._

_All of this seems like a nightmare, that I'm sure I'll wake up from until he arrives. I hear him calling my name from the end of the street, but it isn't until he's outside the house that I see him. He's drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his face. His eyes dart frantically at the house for a moment, before he runs inside. I feel my heartbeat increase more, until I'm sure it's going to burst, but it doesn't give me the relief._

_A few minutes later, Haymitch is back again. Choking on the smoke, with tears rolling down his cheeks. He collapses in the street, the way I did when he was selected at the Reaping. The only difference is, that he manages to scream a scream that makes my heart ache, and I feel the tears begin to trickle down my own cheeks._


	5. Chapter 5

Twenty-five years later, and I can still remember every detail of that day, and still awake every night to the sounds of his screams.

Not that it matters tonight, because I'm not sleeping. How could I, with the sounds of Johanna's torture at the end of the corridor.

When she returns, I rest her head in my lap, as I always do, and give her the blanket I hide under my bed.

I gently stroke her bald head, and make hushing sounds, in an attempt to offer her some kind of calm.

The next morning, I'm awoken by the sound of voices at the end of the corridor.

'What do you mean?' the voice says, 'how can they have taken our transmission? That isn't possible.'

'Well, they have.' A voice replies, 'and all guards are requested to guard the President in case of an ambush.

Then I hear footsteps, and silence (except for the gentle whimpers of Johanna's sleeping form.)

Mere minutes later and the door is being opened while a man enters our cell.

'Who are you?' I ask, fearful that they've come to inflict more pain on the already broken girl.

'My name is Boggs,' the man says curtly, 'we're here to rescue Johanna. Who are you?'

'I'm Amber,' I reply, 'a prisoner.' I say this matter-of-factly, because I get the felling that this man doesn't have time for delicacy.

'Okay, come on then.' He says, as he effortlessly scoops up Johanna, 'where are the others?'

'The girl Annie is next door on the right and Peeta is two doors down on the left.' I say.

'What about Enobaria?'

'Who?'

'Never mind.' With that, he exits back into the corridor and we are met with the others, some of who offer me the opportunity to put a face to the screams.

'Boggs!' a voice calls, 'I can't get her to move.' I move towards the soldier, and look into Annie's cell, where I see the girl curled in the corner, rocking backwards and forwards with her hands over her ears.

I move towards her and hunker down infront of her, gently placing my hands on hers.

'Annie,' I say, prompting her to remove her hands, 'my name's Amber. These men are here to take you away from here. They're going to take us someplace safe.'

'Safe.' She repeats, with an almost blissful tone, as if she can't even remember the last time she was 'safe'.

'Yes,' I repeat, 'safe.' I take her by the hands, and lead her out of the cell where the others wait, and we all move silently through the corridors until I escape the smell of the cells and am met with the artificial stench of the Capitol.


	6. Chapter 6

When we're far enough away from the Presidential mansion, I spot a hovercraft which we board. I have Annie sit beside me, but I ensure Johanna is safely strapped on my other side, I still feel responsible for the girl. The soldier from the Annie's cell sits across from me.

Midway through the flight, I finally pluck up the courage to ask the question that's been weighing on his mind.

'You're from 12.' I state, 'Aren't you?' the boy seems shocked, but responds,

'Yes… how did you know?'

'Grey eyes, dark hair. You remind me of home.'

'You're from 12?' he asks, obviously surprised.

'Yeah, a long time ago.'

'How did you end up in the Capitol?' he asks, but he seems cautious, like he's scared of offending me.

'My boyfriend made them look stupid.' I respond, which is true.

'Your boyfriend?' he asks

'Yeah, do you know him?'

'You'll be seeing him pretty soon.' He says, offering me the news with a heartfelt smile.

'He's here?'

'No, he's in 13… with the rebellion.'

Johanna told me about the rebellion in her early days, but she never mentioned Haymitch. I suppose I never asked.

'How far do you think you are?' I ask, both scared and excited to see him again.

'Don't worry, you'll see him in about ten minutes.' He replied, 'my name's Gale, by the way.'

'I'm Amber.' I reply.


	7. Chapter 7

Ten minutes later, Boggs returns with the instruction to buckle up for landing. When the door opens, I begin to shake and have trouble helping Annie with her belt buckle.

I guide her through the doors, and into the tunnel they've opened for us.

Underground, Annie is whisked away, and so are all the others. I'm left standing by the door, waiting for either direction, or instruction.

Gale appears beside me and says 'I'll take you to him, this way.'

In the intervening 10 minutes between revelation and landing, Gale caught me up of the fundamentals of the rebellion, and the tale of how 13 still exists. He uses the walk now to fill in a few more of the gaps.

He stops at a door and faces me, an action which fills me with dread.

'Look,' he says, 'I just want you to know that he's not the same person.'

'What?' I respond, confused about his meaning.

'After everything that happened in his games he lost his family, he lost you and in the twenty-five years since, he's sent dozens of kids to go off into an arena to be brutally murdered. He isn't the same person, and I'm guessing you're going to come as quite the shock.'

I nod, now just anxious to see him, despite the fact I have no idea what to do or what I'll say.

Gale turns around and opens the door which reads 'Command'.

Inside I see a large table surround by people. One of which… is him.


	8. Chapter 8

When he sees me, he seems to do a double take and his mouth opens and closes a few times before he utters, 'Amber?' oh how long I've waited to hear my name on his lips again.

'Hi sweetheart.' I reply, and he stands from his chair, moving carefully towards me.

'You're dead.' He says, when he's inches from me.

'Nope.' I reply, 'You know Snow. He couldn't very well kill all his leverage could he?'

'Then why did he pretend?'

'You know the answer to that,' I prompt, 'if you ever stepped out of line, the hope of me being alive and well could easily be given and taken to put you back in your place.' He considers this for a moment and then says,

'So you're alive.' I lift my hand and caress his cheek, with a little more stubble than I'm used to, but the warmth that only he possesses. This action seems to trigger something in him, like being awoken from a dream 'I've missed you,' he kisses me hard, the way he did the day of his Reaping and I link my legs around his waist, as I used to.

After all this time, I finally got him back.


End file.
